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| Born As |
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Christopher Reeve |
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| Sex |
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Male |
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| Height |
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6' 4" |
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| Nationality |
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US - United States of America |
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| Date of Birth |
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September 25, 1952 |
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| Place of Birth |
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New York, New York, USA |
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| Date of Death |
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October 10, 2004 |
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| Place of Death |
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New York, USA |
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Biography |
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Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952-October 10, 2004) was an American actor, director, producer and writer renowned for his film portrayal of Superman/Clark Kent. Reeve was born in New York City to writer Franklin Reeve and journalist Barbara Johnson. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Cornell University in 1974, after which he was selected to study at Juilliard School of Performing Arts under John Houseman. Reeve's first big break as an actor came in 1975 opposite Katharine Hepburn in the Broadway play A Matter Of Gravity. His first role in a Hollywood film was a small part in Grey Lady Down in 1977.
In 1978, he was selected to portray the international icon Superman in the 1978 film directed by Richard Donner. This film was an enormous success and inspired three sequels. In 1984, Reeve won critical acclaim for his role as a 19th century southern lawyer in The Bostonians and in The Aspen Papers. In 1987 he travelled to Chile, to stand in solidarity with several dozen actors and writers who had been threatened with death for their left wing views. In the same year, the fourth Superman sequel was released. Reeve helped write the screenplay. He served as an apprentice and on its Board of Directors for the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
On May 27, 1995, Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from his horse, "Eastern Express", in a cross country riding competition at Culpeper, Virginia. He largely retired from the production of films after his paralysis, instead devoting his time to rehabilitation therapy. He opened the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center in Short Hills, New Jersey devoted to teaching paralyzed people to live more independently. Reeve also appeared in television movies after his accident, in his wheelchair. On April 25, 1998 Random House published Reeve's autobiography, Still Me. On February 25, 2003, he appeared in the television series Smallville as Dr. Swann. Reeve died on the age of 52 years of heart failure on October 10, 2004 after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma the previous day.
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